Making Memories

If you don't have any special ornaments of your own, now's the time to start collecting! Here are four of our favorite simple handcrafted ornament ideas to give your tree a personal touch.

Twine Wrapped Ornament

What you need:

Plain glass ball ornament

Twine

Hot glue gun

Small ribbon in a silver, gold or white

What you do:

Remove the hanger from the ornament and set aside. Thread the end of the twine down into the ball--leave the twine on the spool so you know you'll have enough--and replace the hanger.

Begin hot glueing the twine sticking out from the hanger, applying hot glue directly to the ornament and applying the twine beginning around the top and slowly circling down. It's a little tricky to get the twine in straight rows without burning your fingers, so we recommend using the wooden end of a paint brush or a pencil's eraser to adjust the twine once it's placed on top of the glue.

Once you've reached the bottom of your ornament, cut the twine and securely hot glue the end of the twine onto the ball.

Thread your ribbon through the top loop and tie a knot at the length you want the ornament to hang off the branches of your tree, probably no more than 1 1/2 inches.

Black-and-White Photo Ornament

What you need:

Scrapbook paper (I chose one with a music note pattern, but you can choose whatever theme you like)

Cardstock

Black-and-white photo (For these ornaments, I chose family photos from Christmases past.)

Glue stick

Small sized hole punch, about gift tag hole size

Small ribbon in a coordinating color

What you do:

Cut your scrapbook paper to the desired size to create about a 1/2-inch border around your photo. I chose a square for my photo, but you could easily use a stencil to create an oval or other shape.

Cut a square of cardstock to match the size of your scrapbook paper. Glue the cardstock to the back of the scrapbook paper (this will give it more weight for hanging on your tree). Glue your photo to the center of the scrapbook paper.

Punch a small hole into the center of the top of the ornament. Thread your ribbon through the hole and tie a knot at the length you want the ornament to hang off the branches of your tree, probably no more than 1 1/2 inches.

Washi Tape Ornament

What you need:

Washi tape in one or more colors/sizes(available at most craft stores)

Plain glass ball ornament

Small ribbon in coordinating color of your washi tape

What you do

Washi tape is a crafter's best friend because it looks like ribbon, but has glue on the back so that it attaches as easily as tape. Using the color washi tape of your choice, make a simple circle around the glass ball. Go slowly while applying the tape, smoothing out any bubbles as you go by scraping gently with a credit card.

Feel free to get creative! You can stop with one circle around the ball for a simple statement, or do two or three rows in varying sizes/colors.

Once you're finished, thread your ribbon through the top loop and tie a knot at the length you want the ornament to hang off the branches of your tree, probably no more than 1 1/2 inches.

Decoupage Paper Ornament

What you need:

Plain glass ball ornament

An old book

or papers (you could also use scrapbook paper or music sheets)

Mod Podge

Glitter

Paper plate or plastic container

Newspaper

Foam brush

Small ribbon

What you do:

Cover any surface with newspaper that you don't want covered in glitter. Cut a few pages of a book into 1/2 inch by 1 inch strips (you can vary these, but remember that smaller pieces work best.) Remove hanger from glass ball. Squirt some Mod Podge onto your paper plate or plastic container.

Going a strip at a time, brush Mod Podge onto one side of paper. Apply to ball (you can apply these completely straight or do some diagonal for variety) and work your way around the surface making sure to cover the ball completely. Let dry.

Place the hanger back on the ball. Cover the whole surface of ball with a layer of Mod Podge. Sprinkle glitter over the ball with container underneath to catch excess.

Thread your ribbon through the top loop and tie a knot at the length you want the ornament to hang off the branches of your tree, probably no more than 1 1/2 inches.